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CD
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SCH 033CD
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"Schematic's reissue of Glen Velez's phenomenal hand-drum improvisation from 1985 acts as one of the essential links to an understanding of the relationship between modern electronic composition and prehistoric sound, wherein Internal Combustion finds Velez's intense, lifelong study of the frame drum -- all his work for such artists as Steve Reich and Zakir Hussain, his decades of solo and ensemble recordings, his inspiration on, among others, John Cage -- is displayed with a total mastery and utter oneness with his instrument, showering the listener with nimble, double, triple, all-finger rumble patterns on the drum, circular and mesmerizing in structure, and reminiscent of Moroccan slave songs, Indonesian ritual music, Native American trance, as much as the sooty percussive sound of Phoenecia or Autechre, exploring an intense, almost palatal clap to the drum, searching for an unconscious connection to the higher power, like speaking in tongues through the skin of a drum -- a kind of incredible psychic ascension happens here, and it's a fitting tribute, not to mention an accurate lineage, to see Velez's ancient music has found a home at one of our most forward-thinking labels." -- Lee Henderson, Feb. 2002.
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